Primary Bank, which celebrated its grand opening Friday as the first new New Hampshire bank in seven years, expects to build three additional branches and reach at least $300 million in assets in the...

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter has introduced legislation that would permanently allow teachers a federal income tax deduction of up to $250 in out-of-pocket expenses for educational supplies.

Her bill, called the Reimburse Educators Who Pay for Academic Year Supplies Act, or “REPAY Supplies Act, would permanently extend the Classroom Expense Deduction, which is set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year.

The “above-the-line” $250 deduction is available to teachers, regardless of whether they itemize their taxes.

“Due to budget cuts, teachers are now forced to dig deeper into their own pockets for necessary supplies,” Shea-Porter, a Democrat who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, said.

“This legislation mitigates the financial sacrifices they make on behalf of their students and their communities,” she said.

According to Shea-Porter’s office, the bill responds to a request Shea-Porter received from Dr. Margaret Morse-Barry, a Derry educator.

Morse-Barry said Shea-Porter’s introduction of the bill “makes us feel appreciated, like someone in Washington is listening.”

Shea-Porter’s office said the bill has been endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA) and its New Hampshire chapter, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the Association for Career and the Technical Education (ACTE), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), as well as the New Hampshire School Administrators Association and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and its local chapter.